Facebook Plans to Add Breaking News Section to Its Watch Platform

Social media giant, Facebook is planning to add to Facebook Watch a breaking news section.

This was revealed during the Code Media event by Facebook executive Campbell Brown who is heading up the company’s news partnerships program.

Though Brown did not disclose the actual time it will be launched or which outlets will be taking part. He however, highlighted the importance and relevance of local content, so users wouldn’t be surprised if the “breaking news” stories they see under the Watch section might be catered towards their area, save for some topics that could have worldwide implications.

Facebook launched the Watch platform in August as a way to compete more directly with other video distribution platforms online.

It is believed that with Watch, Facebook was trying to own and control original content that it distributes itself exclusively on its own channel.

Competitors like YouTube and Snap also have their own original content, but with Watch — and the news focus — it’s taking a big step forward.

According to Techcrunch, Facebook has struggled in recent years to manage the quality of news content that’s being shared on the platform and how news is being consumed by the massive Facebook audience. That said, Brown continued to recite the Facebook line of self-effacement with the company’s involvement in the media landscape.

“People don’t come to Facebook for news, they come to Facebook for friends and family,” Brown said onstage.

Though this is true to a large, much of what friends and family are sharing — especially in this news cycle — is news.

While expressing reservations on the latest development, Adam Mosseri, VP of news feed said, “I don’t think our focus on false news and integrity morphed into time well spent.

“For those set of issues, stuff that violates community standards or false news, those things need to be confronted head on. You have to assume that you’re dealing with an adversary who’s sophisticated and their strategy will change over time, so the work never ends.”